If I Lose Myself
by lezbehonest23
Summary: So after hearing the amazing news that Lindsey Shaw is returning this season, this is my take on how things will play out with Paily. Not sure how long it will be, but give it a chance?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is my 2nd Paily fanfic. After hearing that Lindsey Shaw is returning, I knew I had to get back into writing! Lol I hope all of my fellow Paily fans enjoy it! And like I said, not entirely sure how long this will be just yet.**

Emily's POV

"What's going on in that head of yours, Em?"

I had been aimlessly swirling the olives around in my dirty vodka martini at The Radley, occasionally stabbing one with the plastic spear, and then dropping it back in and watching it sink to the bottom of my glass. I watched the liquid twist and spin like the funnel of a tornado and then quietly dissipate before I looked up to catch Aria's gaze. She quirked her brow, almost as if it were going to will me to answer truthfully and honestly.

But, to be truthful and honest, I didn't even have the faintest clue of where to start. Things had been quiet lately, considering our newest nemesis. We got Hanna back, safe and sound, but things still felt… _off_. Maybe it was because I still didn't trust Rollins or his relationship with Ali, maybe it was because deep down, I was heartbroken that I couldn't help my friend through whatever psychological break that was plaguing her. _But, who am I kidding?_ I know that it's much more than just that.

Aria had Ezra, hell, she could still have Liam if that fell through. Hanna was finally getting back into the swing of things and of course her first instinct was to dive right back into planning her wedding with Jordan. Spencer and Caleb? Well, they seemed to have not missed a beat, even with his little… _slip up_ with Hanna. _But where was I? Where did I fit in?_

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, "It's nothing. I'm fine, guys" I lied through my smile. Spencer called my bluff immediately.

"Bullshit."

Hanna directly followed, "Yeah, Em, c'mon. We've known each other for years. We all can tell when you're being less than truthful." Aria nodded in agreement as she sipped her mai tai.

"So, why don't you cut the crap and tell us what's up?" Spencer persisted, setting her empty wine glass down onto the table, and signaling our waitress for a refill.

"Oh, me too!" Hanna interjected, pointing at her half full cosmo. We all looked at her, questioningly. "What?" She deadpanned, almost too innocently, followed with a shrug. "It's an anticipatory order."

The three of us chuckled and said no more. Considering the hell Hanna had been through lately, who were we to rain on her parade of binge drinking?

Spencer didn't waste another second, bringing us back to full circle. "Em, talk to us."

"I'm just…jealous, of all of you guys" I confessed. I brought my glass to my lips and took a big swig, hoping the liquor would help me to feel less embarrassed after what I just said.

"Us? Why?" Aria asked, genuinely curious.

"Look at you guys, you all have careers and lives, and…partners…" I trailed off. I can't believe I was twenty-three years old and complaining to my best friends about being single. _Maybe I need another drink, too._ I took another swig, downing the rest of my drink and setting it back onto the table.

Hanna perked up at this, "Oh! So, what you're saying is, you'd like for us to play match maker tonight!" She giddily began clapping her hands like a school girl. Aria looked like she wanted to join her right then and there.

"No, no" I laughed, "That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that-"

"That you haven't gotten laid in months?" I was met with Spencer's smirk as I felt heat start to boil to my cheeks. Our waitress placed another martini in front of me. _Thank god somebody knows what I need right now._ I wasted no time grabbing it.

"Not like that's any of your business, but…no" I whispered the last part, not exactly sure why I felt so embarrassed around the girls I had shared much of my life with.

"Say no more, Em, I'm on it!" Hanna said and kicked her feet up onto the lounge couch her and Aria were currently occupying, perching herself upwards. She began to intensely scan the entire lobby of The Radley. I rolled my eyes, _she thinks she's going to find me someone here? I'll believe that when I see it._

Spencer and Aria joined in, as if wanting to beat Hanna to the punch of finding someone.

"Guys, seriously, you don't have to do this." I tried, but Hanna waved me off as she continued to scan.

"Um, yes, we do, Em. It's our duties as best friends! Besides, I know you'd do the same for…a ha!"

"What do you got, Han?" Spencer asked, moving over to the couch and sitting behind her and Aria.

"Right there, at the bar." Hanna pointed, grinning. "Short brown hair, legs that look like they go for days in that dress."

"Hmm I applaud you, Hanna. Not bad" Spencer teased. "She has nice muscle definition, did you check out her arms? Definitely an athlete of some sort…"

"I wish she'd turn around, I want to see her face" chimed in Aria.

"Oh great, thanks guys, you pick out a girl who one, you haven't even seen her face and two, we don't even know if she plays for my team. Thanks!" I chuckled a bit and threw them a thumbs up. "On that note, I think I'm gonna head out." I began to stand up, reaching for my purse.

"Oh come on, Em, please? At least just come and look at her" whined Hanna. She pouted her lips at me and I knew I was done for.

"Fine. And _then_ I'm leaving."

I made my way over to the couch and followed the direction of their eyes, landing on a brunette haired woman. She was sat at the bar, a half empty martini glass in front of her. _Dirty. She has good taste,_ I thought to myself. She was clad in a dark blue cocktail dress, black pumps encased her feet. One of the male bartenders was standing a small distance away, drying glasses, but with his gaze turned downward. No doubt trying to catch a glimpse down the plunging neckline of her dress. Her hair, the color of almonds, were in soft curls stopping just above her shoulders. _I always had a thing for women with short hair._

Spencer, Aria, and Hanna were continuing to chat about this brunette haired beauty, trying to come up with a coy plan to get her to turn around and face us. But there was no need. Another woman approached her, two martinis in hand. The beauty turned to face this stranger, and it was then at that moment that I lost my breath. It was at that moment, that my stomach leaped, it felt like I was on a steep drop on a roller coaster. My heart soon came crashing down, into the pit of my stomach.

It wasn't because another woman had beat me to the punch and struck up a conversation. No, no of course not. It was because the brunette beauty my friends had been ogling for the past ten minutes, was in fact, _Paige McCullers._

The girls made this realization a couple seconds after me, because by the time they did, I was halfway out the hotel. My feet wouldn't stop, they just kept going. Further and further away from the woman who had been haunting my dreams for the past few years. Further and further away from the woman I hadn't been able to stop thinking about since the day I met her, so many years ago.

I heard the girls calling out to me, no doubt chasing after me. But I couldn't stop. I didn't stop until my cheeks were met with the cool Rosewood weather. Thank god for the breeze, it helped to dry a tear that had escaped and cascaded down my cheek before I turned to face my friends.

"Em, what's wrong? Why does the sight of Paige McCullers send you fleeing?" Spencer asked, putting her hand onto my shoulder to comfort me.

I swallowed hard, not sure of where to even start. A lot had happened these past five years, a lot that the girls didn't know about. Most of which, centered around that brunette haired beauty no more than a few hundred feet away from me. That was the closest I had been to her in years, and now being in her proximity again, was sending my heart into a frenzy.

"It's a really long story…"

"Hey, we've got time" Hanna assured me, giving my arm a supportive squeeze.

/

 _I smiled as Paige continued to leave trails of kisses up and down my neck._

" _If I don't get on the road back to Malibu now, I am not going to make my 8am class" I persisted, my hands coming into contact with her shoulders, trying to playfully push her off. But she wouldn't budge. She continued her assault and when she lightly nipped at my skin, I lost all control._

" _But I'm not ready for you to go yet" she said, "And it doesn't seem like you are either…" Paige began to snake her hands up my shirt, lightly scraping my abdomen with her nails. My eyes shot open at this and I willed myself to stop, I forced myself to, as I slithered out from underneath her grasp._

 _I hopped up from the bed and held my hair up, now realizing just how warm it had gotten in Paige's dorm room. Paige threw me her best pout, but all I could do was smile and shake my head._

" _I love you, but I have to go. But I promise I'll see you next weekend."_

 _This had become our routine for the past year, spending weekends with each other. I can't lie and say choosing Pepperdine didn't have anything to do with Paige. Once I arrived, I wasted no time in contacting her and rekindling our romance. Sure, I attempted to move on with Talia and Sara, but they were just fillers. Taking up space until I could finally be with the one person I knew deep down I had always meant to be with._

 _Things with Paige this time were simple, easy, effortless. With no A stalking our every move, Paige and I were finally free to be together. And to say this past year with her was amazing, was the epitome of an understatement. I don't think I've ever loved someone as deeply and purely as I loved Paige._

" _You know, this would be a hell of a lot easier if you'd just transfer to Stanford." I sighed. Here we go again. Considering we had just started our sophomore year of college, this conversation had happened on more than one occasion._

" _Paige, we've talked about this. Stanford doesn't offer any of the courses I'm interested in. And besides, tuition at Pepperdine is half of what I'd be paying at Stanford. You know that my parents have been struggling…"_

 _Paige pushed herself up off the bed and began making her way over to me. "I know, I know, I just…I wish we could be able to spend more time together, you know, not just on weekends and school breaks." Paige had circled her arms around my waist, pulling me close, as our foreheads touched._

" _I know, babe. Me too. But, we've already made it this far, just two more years and then we'll be together, me and you, everyday…" I gently pecked her on the lips, getting lost into the daydream of us finally together and starting a life._

 _Paige kissed me back with all the love I knew she had._

" _You're right, what's two more years?"_

 _/_

 _Paige's POV_

 _I was jolted awake by my phone ringing on my nightstand. It was just after 8pm, I had hit the hay early because I had a swim meet bright and early the next morning. So any other time, I would have silenced it and sent it to voicemail, but I was sort of expecting a call._

 _Emily and I hadn't spoken in a couple of weeks. Out of nowhere, I got radio silence from her. She stopped responding to my texts and phone calls. It was so out of character and I was genuinely worried for her. I even drove to Pepperdine one day. I played hooky from all of my classes, I even missed swim practice. I just had to know if she was okay, if we were okay._

 _I was half expecting to find her with someone else, I knew only seeing each other on weekends and school breaks might not be enough for her. But when I arrived, I didn't find her at all. Her roommate informed me that she had suddenly dropped out of Pepperdine and left. That was the last I ever heard of Emily Fields._

 _Until now. I squinted, as the brightness of my phone lit up my room. I recognized the area code. It was from Pennsylvania. Rosewood, to be exact._

" _Em? Is that you?" I answered, praying that it was her. I mean, who else would be calling me from a Rosewood number?_

" _Oh, sorry, Paige, It's Pam…"_

 _I shot up in bed. "Pam? Is everything okay? What's wrong?" I stammered. Pam sounded worried, and she sounded like she had been crying._

" _Paige, I'm so sorry to ask you this, but I need your help…"_

" _What is it?" I stood up and flipped on the switch to my bedside lamp, cursing myself as it was a bit too bright for my liking. I began picking up clothes that were scattered on my floor, knowing that whatever Pam needed from me would require me to be clothed and ready to leave._

" _It's Emily, she's…ever since Wayne, her father passed-"_

" _Wait, what?" My heart literally felt like it had fallen out of my chest._

" _She…she didn't tell you?" Pam quietly asked, fighting back tears._

" _No…she didn't. When did this happen?" My mouth had slightly gone dry, I couldn't believe what I was hearing._

" _A couple of weeks ago."_

 _Finally, it had all made sense. The radio silence, the leaving. She must have been distraught, and worst of all, she didn't trust me, her own girlfriend, to let me in. To try and help. I sighed and held back my anger. I couldn't make this about me right now. I had to go find Emily. I needed to let her know that I was here and that I wasn't going anywhere._

" _Pam, I am so sorry. But, I haven't heard from Emily in weeks, I don't know where she is…"_

" _I just got a call from her. She's really drunk, she said she was at a friend's place. Naomi's. Paige, I'm really worried about her, I don't want her to do something reckless or stupid."_

" _I'm on it, Pam. I'll get there as soon as I can." I had just finished lacing up my shoes and I snatched my car keys off my nightstand before bolting out of my room. I had met Naomi a handful of times when I would visit Emily at Pepperdine. She was one of the first friends Em had made upon arriving. And boy, did she like to party. I didn't really think she was a good influence on Em, but she insisted that she could do no harm._

 _Just under 4 hours later, I was parking my car outside of Naomi's place that she shared with a couple other people. How I made it to Malibu in this short of time without getting pulled over was a miracle._

 _A house party was in full swing, and the second I made my way inside, my nose was hit with an overwhelming amount of alcohol. There were people everywhere and the music was blaring. I was afraid I'd never find Emily in this mess._

 _But almost instantly, I caught a sight of her. She was sitting down on a couch, an almost empty bottle of vodka was slouched across her lap. Naomi was next to her, puffing on a joint of marijuana. She passed it to Emily, who took it without hesitation._

 _My heart broke. This wasn't the Emily I had fallen in love with years ago. She looked so broken, so lost, a mere shadow of her former self. I watched her inhale deeply and puff out a wad of smoke. I started making my way over to her, knowing that this would end in one or two ways._

" _Emily, what are you doing here? We have to go." I wasted no time, hoping that if I was stern enough, she would just leave and we could go somewhere and talk._

 _She looked up at me, she didn't smile or frown. In fact, her face was emotionless, as if she didn't even know me._

" _No thanks, I'm good here."_

" _Emily, please. Your mom called me and she's really worried." I tried tugging at her hand a bit._

" _I said, no thanks, I'm good here." Emily replied with a cold, harsh tone, snatching her hand away from my grip. I was beginning to get fed up._

" _Seriously? Your dad passes away and this is how you behave? I'm sure he'd be so proud of you." I knew I was hitting a nerve, but I needed to do something to get her off this couch and away from this place._

 _What I didn't know was the nerve I was hitting didn't belong to someone I knew anymore. Emily shot up, the bottle of vodka flying off to the side of the couch._

" _Don't you ever talk about my dad, you don't even know the first thing about it!" Sure, Emily had raised her voice at me before. But not like this. She gritted her teeth, vodka soaked breath spewing from her mouth. She wasn't angry, she was enraged._

 _I didn't get a chance to respond before Emily swiftly turned on her heel and took off. It took me all of 1.5 seconds to chase after her. She darted down a hallway and entered into the nearest room. A bathroom. She hastily shut the door, locking it behind her._

 _I rattled the knob, hoping to find a way in._

" _Em, please, don't do this. Can we just talk?"_

 _Emily's response wasn't in the form of words, but rather the sounds of her upchucking anything and everything in her system. I was slightly grateful for her having locked the door, the smell of vomit always made me want to hurl._

 _After a little while, I heard the toilet flush, followed by the whoosh of the water from the sink. The door flung open and I almost expected her to collapse into my arms to cry, to let me hold her. Almost._

" _You know what, Paige? This is all your fault! I left Rosewood for you! I came all the way to California for you! I spent summer break with you instead of going home! I could have seen my dad one last time, but I didn't!" At this point, tears were streaming down Emily's face. But she didn't falter, she continued to scream._

" _I lost everything because of you!" I couldn't believe my ears at this point. I knew deep down she didn't mean any of this, but I couldn't stand to listen any further._

" _It's over, Paige! Just go back to your scholarship and your fancy school and just leave me alone!"_

 _Without another word, Emily pushed past me with my mouth agape and heart shattered, and disappeared back into the party._

 _It was at that moment that I knew that my relationship with Emily Fields was over. The Emily I had grown to love, the Emily I had pictured a life with, marriage and kids with? Well, she was gone. And this new, broken and lost Emily, had just blamed me for the death of her father. She was gone. And I knew no matter how hard I tried, I could never bring back the Emily Fields I was once in love with._

 _/_

Paige's POV

I was on my second martini, compliments of the beautiful woman seated next to me. Her name was Rebecca, she was from Arizona, twenty-five years old and had just finished her Masters in Hospitality Management. She was in town to interview for a new management position here at The Radley.

I was still getting used to the fact that the place I was in used to be a psychiatric hospital. Rosewood sure had changed since I had been gone. I smiled, as I sipped my drink, listening to Rebecca. She was saying all of the right things, obviously not an amateur to picking up women at the bar. Any other time, I'd fallen for it, hook line and sinker. Any other time, I'd be on my way up to a more… _private_ area, one where I'd surely be screaming her name in no time. But not tonight.

Tonight, my mind and heart had settled on one Emily Fields. Being back in Rosewood, I couldn't help but think about her. I wondered where she was, how everything had turned out for her. But having her on my mind, I also drifted back to the last time I saw her and spoke to her.

I felt that all too familiar pang at my heart. _God, how can she still have this affect on me?_

"Um, Rebecca, will you excuse me? I need to go to the bathroom."

She smiled politely, "Of course."

I puffed out a sigh of relief as I made my way out of the bar. I bee lined past the bathroom and headed towards the elevators. I know it was wrong of me to just ditch this woman like this, but I couldn't take it anymore. Emily was clouding my mind and right now, I just really needed to be alone.

I pushed the 'Up' button and impatiently began to wait. The elevator was on floor 10, and I began to tap my foot, desperately wanting to just retreat to the safety of my hotel room.

Emily's POV

I pushed the 'down' button and waited. The girls and I had made our way up to Hanna's room after I bolted once I saw Paige. I had just recounted to the girls the last time I saw her. And to put it in Hanna's words, _how much of an asshole_ I had been to her. I finally told the girls that it was late and I should get going. To be honest, I just wanted to be alone.

The elevator dinged and brought me out of my nightmares from the past. But as the doors slid open, I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest and finally put back together, all at the same time.

When Hanna had said earlier that I'd get a chance to make things right sooner or later, I had honestly bet on the latter.

But here, standing in front of me for the first time in over two years with the same stunned expression, was my beautiful ex-girlfriend.

"Em-"

"Paige-"

We said in unison.


	2. Chapter 2

Paige's POV

 _Does God hate me? I mean, I don't necessarily believe in God, but if I did, I'd like to think that he's a fickle little bastard. Because only a fickle little bastard would throw me face to my face with my gorgeous ex-girlfriend, the very same gorgeous ex-girlfriend whom I've continued to carry a burning torch for since I can remember._

"Um, are you getting off…or going down?" Emily asked, nervously shifting on her feet.

"Down." I answered so fast, I felt like I had whiplash. I literally just rode the elevator up ten floors and now I want to go back down? If I could face palm myself right now, I would. But seeing Emily for the first time in years, I lost all control of my body. I felt as if my feet had sprouted roots and planted me right there in the elevator. But maybe that was my heart desperately trying to grasp onto the woman I had been dying to see ever since she walked away from me that night.

Emily held back a smile that I knew was tugging at her lips as she joined me on the elevator. Yep, she too had made the whole 'up and now down' connection.

I bit my lip as she settled in next to me. _God, her scent. Hasn't changed one bit._ I felt intoxicated, and it definitely wasn't because of the martinis.

"Are you going to the lobby?" She asked as she pressed a button, which illuminated a big 'L'.

"Uh, yeah."

I slightly glanced over at Emily, hoping she wouldn't feel my eyes on her. But luckily, her eyes seemed glued upward, watching the floor numbers tick away as we made our way down.

I first noticed her raven black hair. It was much longer from when I last saw her, now almost reaching the center of her back. She was clad in a champagne colored dress that stopped mid-thigh and hugged her curves in all the right ways. Still fit and built like a goddess. She never did have any trouble keeping in shape, even after she quit swimming.

My eyes then landed on her shoes. The silver ones with all of the straps…

 _Emily and I were in a fit of drunken giggles, making our way down the hall to the nearest elevator. I was carrying her shoes, because according to her, she needed to let the "dogs" out. Emily pushed me up against the elevator door, pressing the 'up' button and hungrily kissing my lips. My arms found her waist, and pulled her closer to me, if that was even possible._

 _We were so lost in our hallway make out session that we didn't even realize the elevator door had opened until we almost came tumbling in. But that didn't deter us, because Emily wasted no time pressing our floor button and molding her lips back to mine. Her tongue glided across my bottom lip, begging for entrance and who was I to deny her?_

 _A soft moan escaped my lips as our tongues danced together. It wasn't until her teeth lightly bit down on my bottom lip that I realized where we were._

 _I pulled away giggling, "Babe, what if people see?" I motioned to the camera located at the corner of the elevator._

 _Emily smiled, her eyes glossed over. I wasn't sure if it was the wine we had snuck earlier, or our hot and heavy make out session._

" _I don't care, I want the whole word to know that Paige McCullers, MY girlfriend, has just been invited to join the U.S Olympic Swimming team!"_

 _My mind settled onto the official letter, tucked into the back of my dress slacks. We had just left the swanky dinner where I and two of my other teammates had been invited to the Olympics the following year. I can't even tell you how lucky and thankful I was that I got to share this momentous event with the love of my life._

 _I got lost into Emily's chocolate orbs, seeing nothing but love and adoration. Before I could lean in and kiss the stunning woman before me, the elevator dinged, signaling we had reached our floor._

" _Are you coming?" Emily asked, her hand reaching out, waiting for me to grasp it._

 _I eagerly grabbed her hand, entwining our fingers. "Of course."_

"Are you coming?"

"Huh?" I stammered as I was brought out of my daydream of the past.

Emily slightly smiled, continuing to hold open the elevator door. "Are you coming?" She repeated. "We're in the lobby now."

"Oh, right. Yeah, thanks." I quickly responded, exiting the elevator and hearing the doors close behind us.

We naturally began walking past the bar, towards the exit of the hotel. I didn't even know where I was going, but I had to make it seem like I wasn't just following Emily.

I looked over and could see Emily chewing on her bottom lip. _She's nervous._ _She always chews on her lip when she's nervous_ , I thought to myself.

I opened my mouth to say something, try to engage in conversation with her, when I was abruptly cut off by the sound of my name.

"Paige? There you are, I was beginning to get worried."

 _Oh crap. Yeah, remember that fickle little bastard, God? Well, he's back. Because the beautiful woman I ditched at the bar? She's coming in hot right now._

I saw her waving and slowly start to make her way over to me from the bar.

Emily slightly glanced over at me, confused and curious as to who this woman could be. And it was then at that very moment, that I got an idea. It was also at that very moment that I realized said idea, might not be such a good idea. But, to hell with it.

I immediately grabbed Emily, turning her towards me before crashing my lips into hers. She didn't respond at first, probably shocked as to why the ex-girlfriend she hadn't seen in years nor parted with on entirely good terms, was kissing her. I prayed to the fickle little bastard that Emily would kiss me back, just for a split second to make this seem legit.

And like angels singing from up above, Emily's lips soon started to respond. _Holy shit. Emily and I are kissing right now. She's actually kissing me back._

I decided to press my luck and I slowly snaked my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against me and trying to deepen the kiss with my tongue. To my surprise, Emily obliged and welcomed my tongue with her own. Suddenly, I wasn't the one holding Emily up anymore. I felt as if she was the one holding me up and thank god she was, because I wanted to collapse right then and there.

As hard as it was, I finally broke the kiss and pulled away. I quickly looked over to where Rebecca was standing and saw that she was nowhere to be found. I felt bad, I really did. But getting a chance to kiss Emily again after all this time? I wouldn't change that in the world for anything.

Emily and I continued to hold each other, our foreheads pressed against each other. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. I guess she was at a loss for words as much as I was.

I then got a second idea. And maybe this idea would end up being just as magical as the first.

"Um, would you like to get out of here? And go take a walk with me?" I asked, praying and hoping that she'd say yes.

Still at a loss for words, Emily could only nod.

I gave her my famous Paige McCullers smile, and took her hand in mine, leading her out into the crisp Rosewood night.

Emily's POV

To say I was still in a state of shock was a bit of an understatement. First, my friends, unbeknownst to them, pick out my ex in a room full of people. Then, I run into said ex during an awkward elevator ride. And finally, the ex gives me one of the most unexpected and sexiest kisses that I've had in a _really long time._

And to top it all off, I'm now strolling in downtown Rosewood with her. We hadn't said a single word to each other since we left The Radley and I had finally grown tired of the uncomfortable silence.

"What are you doing here, Paige? And what was that back there? Was that just a ploy to get rid of that woman? Who is she? And...where are we going?" I had finally noticed just how far we had traveled from The Radley.

"Whoa, slow down there, Em. Which question would you like me to answer first?" She asked laughing. _Oh God, that laugh. How I've missed that. And the way she calls me 'Em'. It's never been quite the same when anyone else does._

I chuckled, realizing that I had rattled off questions quicker than an auctioneer.

"Okay, fine. First question. Who's the girl?" I nervously bit my lip, silently hoping that she didn't just use me to break up with a girlfriend.

"Um, her name's...Rachel, I think? No, Rebecca. Yeah, Rebecca." I inwardly laughed at Paige's inapt attention to details. "I just met her this evening. She bought me a drink and I sorta ditched her…"

I gasped and jokingly slapped her arm, "Paige!"

"What?! I just, I wasn't feeling it and I didn't know what else to do! I panicked!"

I laughed out loud. "Still a lady killer, I see."

Paige laughed, shaking her head. "No, not even. I was the innocent girl just trying to enjoy a drink at the bar, that's it."

I nodded with a smile as we continued to walk to wherever it was where we were going.

"Okay, now my turn. What were you doing there tonight?" I smiled at her coy way of beginning a game of 20 questions.

"Just having a few drinks with the girls."

"Oh they're all in town too?"

"Ah that's _two_ questions, now I get to ask two!"

"Dammit. Fine." I watched as she folded her arms and feigned a pout.

"Yes, the girls are all in town too. Um, what brings you to town? And…why did you just kiss me?..."

Talking, laughing, and joking with Paige like this, it felt as if no time had passed. It's like it had just been put on a very long pause. _I missed this. I missed her._ And I knew asking my second question was a risk to ruining this unbelievably _comfortable_ feeling with Paige.

"How about we go inside first and then I'll answer your questions?" I looked up to see that we were standing outside of _Rosewood High_. I quirked my brow at Paige, as she fished out a set of keys from her clutch.

Paige's POV

The look on Emily's face as I pulled out my set of keys to Rosewood High was _priceless._

I began making my way up the steps to the main entrance, turning to see Emily still at the foot of the stairs, lost in her thoughts.

"Are you coming?" I asked, swinging the keys around my index finger.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds, before finally giving in and making her way up the steps.

Walking down the halls of Rosewood, the memories came in like a flash flood. Memories of Emily and I together, memories of Alison tearing me down to a single shred left of myself, and memories of being in the pool, one of the few places I felt like was _home._

The lagoon colored hue filled up the entire natatorium. My nose was instantly filled with the smell of fresh chlorine. I'd been around this smell my entire life, but still, it felt like the first time. Maybe it was because it was the first time in a long time that Emily and I were back here together, experiencing it together.

I watched as her eyes lit up, taking it all in. The pool reflected off her chestnut colored skin and I thought to myself, _I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of seeing something so beautiful before._

"So...I guess you want me to answer your questions now?" I broke her out of her awestruck stage, and she turned to face me, before nodding.

"Well, you're looking at Rosewood Shark's newest head swim coach…" I was met with a set of pearly whites, creating a smile I hadn't seen in years. "And, I kissed you tonight to not only ward off Rebecca, but…because I can't be near you and _not_ want to kiss you, Em. I don't think I'll ever be capable of doing that…"

I watched the wheels and gears shift in her head, as she processed what I had just confessed to her. "I guess it's your turn now to ask a question…"

I looked down, suddenly finding my feet to be more interesting than staring directly into the eyes of the woman who was drawing more and more heat to my cheeks.

My head darted up, however, at the sound of a zipper. The zipper to Emily's dress, to be exact.

If Emily hadn't noticed my blush before, there was no denying that she could notice it now.

"Um, what-what are you doing over there?" I stuttered nervously, trying to keep my cool.

I bit my lip and held back a moan as I watched Emily shimmy out of her dress, revealing a sexy nude-colored lingerie combo.

"Well, we didn't come all this way to just look at it, right?" After undoing the straps off her heels, Emily dove into the water, pulling through it with ease. _Her stroke and her form was still perfect._

She swam across the pool, closer to where I was standing at. I must have looked like a cartoon, my mouth still hanging open as she broke the surface.

"Are you coming?" She asked with her ever famous smirk.

Before I knew it, my dress came off in a flash and I dove in after her.

 _Finally. I was home._

 **A/N: Don't worry, I still have more :)**


	3. Update

**A/N: First off, I'd like to thank everyone so very much for taking the time to read my story and to comment with compliments, thoughts, and opinions! :) It is very much appreciated and gives me a lot of motivation to continue. Second, I am so sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in quite a few days. Some fanfic writers are younger, in school, with more free time, while others have graduated school and now have a 9-5 job M-F lol I am the latter. So please, bare with me. Your patience is appreciated! I promise a a new chapter will come soon enough!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: First, I would like to apologize so very much for taking such a long time to update this story. I promise I didn't forget about it! It was my partner and I's anniversary, then we had friends from out of town surprise us and stay with us, and then I had a funeral to attend this past weekend. But I'm back now! And second, I'd like to thank everyone who continues to read after my hiatus. I totally understand if some have lost interest. Hope everyone enjoys the update**

Paige's POV

I placed a framed picture of Emily and I after a championship swim meet on my new desk at Rosewood High. She had her arm around me as we both donned gold metals and toothy grins. It was one of the last swim meets her and I had competed in together before her shoulder injury. I smiled fondly as my fingertips graced the surface of the glass.

I sat down and began to look around the office. I had been in here so many times before, but always as a swimmer, never as a _coach._ I glanced at my watch, making note that in just a few minutes, the halls were going to be flooded with students ready for a new semester. And that meant new students to try out for the swim team.

I pulled up a flyer on my computer that I had created. It had all of the necessary information for when tryouts were. I began printing off 50 copies, surely that should be enough at the student involvement fair today.

In the faint distance, I heard the subtle _click, click_ of a pair of heels on the hard linoleum floor. The sound grew closer with each step. I smiled, spinning around in my chair, expecting to see Emily standing in the doorway. She mentioned bringing me coffee for my first day. But the goofy grin plastered on my face was ripped off by the sight of _Alison DiLaurentis_.

"My, my, my, when I heard Paige McCullers was hired as the new swim coach, I just had to see for myself." She smirked, crossing her arms as she leisurely leaned against the door frame.

"Gee, Alison, coming all this way just for little old me? How sweet of you."

Alison chuckled, "Oh it wasn't that far." I caught a glimpse of a shiny diamond on her ring finger. _Never in a million years did I take Alison for the 'settling down' type._

"I see 'congratulations' are in order." I dryly said.

Alison glanced down at her hand, almost as if she had completely forgot she was wearing a ring.

"Oh, thank you. I see your finger is still bare. Can't quite seal the deal? Funny, I guess neither can Emily."

"Aw Alison, it's okay, not everyone's self-esteem can survive alone." I smirked, _'Pigskin' sure has come a long way_. Alison looked as if she had just swallowed vinegar, before quickly composing herself.

"Yeah, well let's just hope that so called self-esteem can recruit some girls. Have you seen last year's stats? You've got your work cut out for you."

"You follow high school swimming? Now I've seen it all." I laughed as I stood up and grabbed my stack of flyers from the printer.

"Well what kind of faculty member would I be if I didn't support my school's sports teams?" I just about dropped my flyers. _Did she just say what I think she did?_

"Faculty member?"

"Yeah, Em didn't tell you? What a shame." She flashed me a devilish grin. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, _Coach McCullers._ " And just like that, Alison sauntered away, the _click, click_ of her heels following her out.

I sunk back into my chair, releasing a shaky breath I didn't realize I had been holding in. I thought taking this job might have been the best decision I had made in years, especially since it had allowed me to reconnect with Emily. But now I was starting to think that maybe it was the _worst_ decision.

Emily's POV

"Em…Em, wake up." I felt a hand on my shoulder, softly shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and squinted as the sunlight made its grand entrance. Through the brightness, I could see golden locks cascading down a head, no doubt _Hanna's._

"Looks like somebody had a late night. And one that involved a pool, you smell like chlorine."

I smiled softly, recounting last night's events with Paige. Being in the pool again, swimming again, especially with Paige, it's like I had fallen asleep and then woken up in this amazing and perfect dream.

I brushed the hair out of my face as I sat up to fully look at Hanna.

"So are you going to make me beg for details? I saw you leave The Radley with Paige. Tell me what happened!"

I playfully rolled my eyes at Hanna's eagerness to know about Paige and I. But to be honest, I was still trying to figure it out myself.

"Oh and here, I brought you this. I figured you'd need it." Hanna handed me a cup of coffee with The Brew logo on it. I silently thanked her as I brought the cup to my lips, slowing sipping the hot contents. I noticed a hint of an extra shot of espresso. _Gosh, Hanna's good._

Savoring the taste of my Americano, I almost choked when I made a realization.

"Oh crap!" I threw my comforter off my body, instantly jumping to my feet.

"What? What is it?" Hanna asked a little caught off guard as I darted past her.

"I was supposed to meet Paige this morning and bring her coffee!" I hollered from my closet.

"Well I haven't drank any of mine yet, does she like cinnamon soy lattes?"

"It'll have to do, thanks Han, you're the best!" I came barreling out of my closet in a pair of yoga pants and t-shirt, throwing up my hair in a messy bun. I grabbed both coffees and headed for the door.

"Can you lock up when you leave? I'll call you later!" And without waiting for a response, I was out the door.

" _Wow, looks like your shoulder sure has healed up nicely." Paige panted as she held herself up on the edge of the pool. We had just finished up another friendly race. We were now at 3-2, by yours truly._

 _I pulled myself up to the edge next to her. "Yeah, thanks to countless hours of physical therapy."_

" _Is that what made you interested in becoming a PT yourself?"_

" _Absolutely. I just fell in love with it. I think I can really help people, you know? Athletes like myself who think they'll never get another shot."_

 _Paige nodded and we settled into a comfortable silence, still catching our breaths from the most recent race. I glanced over and noticed Paige rubbing at her left shoulder._

" _Swimmer's shoulder?"_

 _Paige winced a bit and nodded. "Um yeah, you know how it is."_

" _Come on." I motioned to the ladder and Paige soon followed me out of the pool. I grabbed two nearby towels and handed one to Paige. My eyes raked up and down her toned body, before it was swiftly covered with the towel. I followed suit and wrapped myself up before sitting down on the nearby bleachers. I motioned for Paige to sit down in front of me._

 _Once she did, I hesitantly placed my hands on her left shoulder and began to gently massage her. Her skin was so silky and smooth, just as I had remembered. My breath hitched as my hands glided over the base of her neck, the very same spot I had kissed a thousand times before._

 _It was then that I noticed a very thin scar line running from the top of her shoulder to the bottom. Studying kinesiology and physiology, particularly in swimmers, I had become quite acquainted with such scars. And this particular scar told me that sometime between us breaking up in college and now, she had torn her rotator cuff. It suddenly made sense now as to why I had easily beat her in the majority of our races tonight._

 _I inwardly sighed, upset that I had lost the right to know these things about Paige a long time ago. But it hurt knowing how much I wished I had that right again. Whatever reasons she had, Paige obviously wasn't comfortable in telling me about this injury. And since I had no right to ask, I just bit my lip and continued to massage her sore shoulder._

 _A slight moan escaped Paige's lips and seeing how she immediately tensed up, I could tell she was a bit embarrassed._

" _I'm sorry." I finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that grew._

" _For what?"_

" _For…everything." This caught Paige's attention and she turned around to face me. "For how badly I treated you after my dad passed away, for blaming all of it on you. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you did everything right. You were perfect, Paige. I guess…I guess I just really lost myself after losing my dad. And to be honest…I just kept telling myself that you deserved better than the mess I had become."_

 _I began to reach up to wipe away a stray tear, but Paige beat me to it. She softly brushed it away with the pad of her thumb._

" _You were never a mess, Em. You were…everything I had ever dreamed of and more. You still are."_

 _I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and locked eyes with Paige. Even after all these years, I still found myself getting lost in her chocolate orbs. Maybe, just maybe we had been given a second chance. And if that were true, I'd be damned if I screwed it up again._

" _It's getting late, I don't want you to be late on your first day on the job. So how about I walk you home and then bring you some coffee in the morning?"_

 _Paige smiled like a little school girl who had just been asked out by her crush. "I would love that."_

Paige's POV

 _Seriously? Out of the entire quad, my booth for swimming ends up directly across from Alison? And Shakespeare Club?_ I had to keep myself from snorting with laughter. _I didn't even know she read, let alone some of the greatest pieces of literature mankind has ever been graced with._

I placed my stack of flyers on my table, along with a few pairs of goggles, swim caps, and the new jackets I had designed myself. I reached into my box of supplies and pulled out a couple picture frames. One was of the team my senior year and the other was the one of Emily and I. I could practically feel Alison's eye-roll from across as she saw the second picture.

I scanned over my table, thinking that I was missing something. The lightbulb went off and I reached into my box, pulling out a big bag of candy. I remembered when I attended these fairs in high school and the booths that caught my eye were usually the ones with candy.

I ripped open the bag, grabbing a giant handful and sprinkling Starburst, Skittles and Sweet Tarts all across the table. I smiled, very pleased with how everything looked. _Surely I'll get some recruits today._

I looked up, my eyes meeting Alison as she looked at my table and slightly laughed. I narrowed my eyes at her. Taking in her table, I noted that all she had was a simple sign-up sheet and a few books of Shakespeare's works. It was my turn to laugh. _Did she really think that students would just float to her without her even trying? She was in for a rude awakening._

"Attention everyone!" Our booth "competition" was cut off by Principal Hackett's voice. "The students are arriving now, I want to see smiling faces on each and every one of you! Remember, an _involved_ student is a _successful_ student!"

Both Alison and I snorted. _Could he be any cheesier?_ Almost instantly, the quad became flooded with students. And almost instantly a group of girls came rushing to my table. I looked up and smirked at Alison and her empty table.

"Oh cool, look at these jackets!" One girl exclaimed while another was trying on a pair of goggles.

"Hi there girls, I'm Coach McCullers. Are you interested in trying out for the swim team this year?"

"Wait, you're _the_ Paige McCullers?" Another girl said with a mouthful of Starburst.

I smiled and slightly blushed, nobody had ever reacted to my name like that before. "My older sister is Nadine, you two were teammates! I'm Natalie." She reached out to shake my hand and I was then able to fully look at her. She had jet black hair and emerald green eyes, a spitting image of her sister. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm shaking your hand right now! You're a legend here at Rosewood!"

I laughed and blushed some more. "I don't know about that, your sister was a pretty great swimmer too. So does this mean I can count on you to be my first recruit?"

"Of course! Although, I've only swam competitively for a couple of years…"

"That's okay, I'll teach you everything I know." My heart just about melted when I saw the look on Natalie's face. Maybe this wasn't such a bad decision after all.

After the first rush of students and 15 recruits later, I looked over and saw Alison sitting down, reading one of her books. Her booth hadn't drawn nearly the amount of attention as mine or the others. _Don't do it, Paige. Don't even think about it._ But before I could catch myself, I grabbed my half empty bag of candy and began to make my way over. I looked down at her sign-up sheet and saw that not a single student had signed up.

"Come to gloat?" She asked, not even removing her eyes from her book.

"No, actually, I didn't. Here." She finally looked up at me as I held out the bag of candy. She remained still, not reaching out to take it. "Trust me, it'll help." I could see her debating with herself on whether or not to accept my offering.

"Fine." She stood up and took the bag. I turned to walk back to my table and upon doing so, I heard her mumble a soft 'Thank you'. Knowing that those words probably tasted like poison coming from her to me, I didn't respond. I just reveled in the fact that she _actually_ said them. Almost instantly, Alison's table was surrounded by a few students.

Emily's POV

I pulled up to the Rosewood High parking lot in record time. _Gosh, I can't believe I'm this late!_ I looked at myself in my mirror, debating on whether or not I should try putting on a bit of makeup before seeing Paige. Glancing down at the time on my stereo, I decided against it, I was late enough as it is.

I made my way into the school and noticed how quiet it was, you could hear a pen drop. I saw signs for the involvement fair and figured that's where Paige probably was.

The quad was full of students and faculty members, but even in the crowd, my eyes fixated on Paige. _Ugh maybe I should have put on some makeup._ Paige was dressed in a Rosewood sharks navy jumpsuit, her hair pulled back into a tight pony tail. I chuckled when I saw her matching navy blue Converse. Even in her casual dress, the polar opposite of what she was in last night, she looked absolutely stunning. I nervously bit my lip before making my way over to her.

"Hey, I am so sorry I'm late! I sorta overslept…"I sheepishly said, handing over Hanna's, I mean _her_ , coffee. Paige's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Hey I was wondering if you were going to make it. Thank you." She said as she took the coffee. "I'm sorry I kept you out so late."

"Oh no, it's okay, I had an amazing time." I saw the red colored hue sneak up from Paige's neck to her cheeks. I always thought it was the cutest thing whenever she would blush. She quickly brought the coffee to her lips, probably not wanting me to notice her blush any further.

Paige furrowed her brows in confusion, "Um did you send Hanna on the coffee run or what? Because this tastes exactly like something she would drink." _Dammit, I had hoped her taste buds had maybe changed over these past few years but apparently not._

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I woke up late and she brought over coffee…"

"So you high-jacked her coffee date for ours?" Paige teased, a smile tugging at her lips. My heart skipped a beat when she said ' _date'. Damn, now I really wish I would have spent those extra few minutes putting on makeup._

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. How about a do-over tonight? I promise I'll be on time." Before Paige could answer, a voice appeared behind me.

"Hello, Emily."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Once again, I am terribly sorry for my long hiatus again! I hit some really bad writers block, but I think I'm finally back into the groove. I hope you all enjoy the update** **And again, thank you SO much to everyone who takes the time to leave a review. It really does motivate me to keep writing.**

 **Warning: M rated material in this chapter.**

 **Paige's POV**

The sun snaked its way in through the curtains and immediately brought me from my deep slumber. I reached over to the nightstand for my phone. _6:27am. Never fails. I'm not sure why I even set an alarm anymore when my body has been waking me up early for years._ Glancing to my right, I couldn't help but smile at the raven colored hair spread across the pillow. It took every bone in my body to not just reach over and caress the beauty who was currently occupying the bed with me. _But then surely I'll be late,_ I reasoned.

Slowly sliding my bare body out from underneath the comforter, I bit my lip as the bed dipped and slightly squeaked. Seeing Emily softly stir, I released a shaky breath when she didn't wake up.

I began to find my clothes among the ones scattered across the floor. Sliding and clipping my bra on, my jeans soon followed. I quietly tiptoed around to the front of the bed in search of my shirt. To no avail, I settled on my Rosewood Sharks sweatshirt.

"Mmm I'm starting to feel a little cheap here." I smiled and bit my lip as I finished zipping up my sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you looked so adorable asleep and-" I turned around and my mouth became agape as Emily sat up in bed, the sheets falling down and revealing her bare chest. "And…I-I don't think I'll have the willpower to leave if I…stay." I choked out, getting lost in the fantasy of hopping back into bed with her and making her scream my name over and over again.

Emily smirked, no doubt trying to keep me here longer on purpose. "Fine. You've been on time to work every morning for the past month, who am I to ruin that streak?" _I mean, she could ruin it if she wanted to. I'd gladly let her ruin it if it allowed me to swirl my tongue around her taunt nipples._ I shook the thought away from my head.

"Well, thank you, I appreciate that. Besides, since my lease finally came through, I should probably start showering at the place I pay to live at, right?"

Emily was in the process of sliding on a loose tank top. _Ah. There's my shirt._

"Technically, yes, but you know that you are always welcome here." She sauntered over to me, hooking her index finger into the pocket of my sweatshirt and tugging me into her.

I smiled into our kiss and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Mmm I know, but maybe now that I'm all moved in and almost unpacked, you'd like to start spending some nights with me? Maybe tonight? I'll bring home takeout."

"Sounds perfect." And with another quick kiss goodbye, I was out the door.

"Alright, everyone! Homecoming is next weekend and I'm still short a few chaperones to the dance. Any volunteers?" I had my back turned to Principal Hackett as I was pouring myself a cup of coffee at our monthly staff meeting. I slightly chuckled as I heard a few groans. I didn't blame them. Who'd want to give up a Saturday night to watch and monitor a bunch of rowdy teenagers?

Principal Hackett's voice droned off as I drifted into a caffeine induced haze. _Ooh, donuts._ I grabbed a chocolate glazed one and took a large bite, almost moaning at the delectable taste. Principal Hackett's muffled voice came to a deafening loud and pulled me out of my sugar induced coma as I spun around, mouth still full of chocolate donut.

"Coach McCullers, Ms. DiLaurentis. Neither of you have volunteered for a homecoming activity yet, so I'm delegating the two of you to round out the chaperone list." I could see Alison's eyes dart up from examining her nails.

"Me?" Although, with a mouthful of donut, I'm pretty sure it sounded like "Ne?"

"Yes, you and Ms. DiLaurentis. Unless either of you have a legitimate excuse as to why you can't."

Mine and Alison's expressions were mirroring one another, somewhere between a deer caught in headlights and someone about to vomit in their seat on an airplane. _I'd personally take either of those scenarios than to spend an evening chaperoning with satan's mistress._

Principal Hackett quirked his brow at me and I rapidly swallowed my chunk of donut.

"Uh, no, sir, I'd be happy to help out." Principal Hackett looked to Alison for a protest and when he received none, he hastily moved on.

"Alright. Next on the agenda, have we received anymore recon on to who was behind the bologna slices on the cafeteria ceiling?"

I quietly glanced over at Alison, my stomach full of knots. _This is going to be fan-fucking-tastic._

 **Emily's POV**

"I didn't know teachers were allowed to drink on their lunchbreak?" I teased Alison as she walked up to the bar at The Radley and perched herself in front of me.

"Ha ha. I'm here for lunch, silly. I heard about the new salads you added to the menu. Are they any good?"

"Don't try the chicken cranberry, it's actually quite bland. The cobb is pretty good though."

"Okay, I'll try the cobb. And an iced tea, please."

"Coming right up." I could feel Alison's eyes scan me up and down as I punched in her order into the POS system at the bar. It always made me nervous whenever somebody would watch me work, especially since this was still a fairly new job. But, I tried to pay no mind as I waltzed back over, grabbing a glass and pitcher of tea on the way.

"So, how have your classes been going so far?" I placed the glass on a coaster in front of Alison and slid a plastic straw toward her.

"Good, great actually. I'm surprised that I've actually gotten quite a few students really interested in _The Winter's Tale_. I think it'll turn out to be a really good semester."

"That's good to hear. Now, do you want to tell me the real reason you're here?" I couldn't help but throw Alison a smirk. _I've known her for years and she's never been one to come and visit for a quick chat or small talk. There had to be another reason._

Alison hesitated for a moment, almost as if she were taken back by the fact that I called her bluff so quickly. But, she immediately recomposed herself with a quick shake of her head.

"I, um, I wanted to talk to you about Paige…" I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"What about her?"

Alison glanced over her shoulder to make sure we couldn't be overheard, I presumed. "Have you…said anything to her, you know, about…"

"Seriously? No, I haven't. And as much as it kills me to look her in the eye every day, knowing…we did what we did, I don't plan on dragging her back into that black hole."

I could see Alison's worry and fear fall from her like a second skin and she settled back into her chair. "Good. The less people know, the better. Besides…" she trailed off once I raised my brows at her, warning her to tread softly.

"Besides what?" I drummed my fingers on the bar, waiting for Ali to respond.

"It's just, you and Paige haven't spoken in what, two years? I mean, can you honestly trust her? She suddenly shows up back in town for a coaching job at a _high school?_ And you have no questions as to why? And whatever happened to the Olympics? You said she got in, right? But yet there's no evidence of her ever competing."

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I couldn't help but let Ali's words settle in me. This past month with Paige had been nothing short of _amazing_. I guess I had gotten so caught up in rekindling our relationship that I hadn't even really asked about her past. A past I truly knew nothing of. I still didn't even know how she had torn her rotator cuff. And then, there was the tattoo…

 _My eyes began to roll to the back of my head as Paige lapped her tongue between my dripping folds. She took a hold of my clit and sucked on it, pulling me further and further to the edge. I ran my hand through her auburn locks, gently scraping at her scalp as my other hand was gripped onto the headboard behind me._

" _Oh god, Paige, I'm so close." I rasped out, digging my fingers further into Paige's hair and pulling her closer to me, if that were even possible._

 _Her tongue stayed in place, licking and sucking on my clit. My eyes shot open as I felt two fingers enter my folds and began pumping in and out of me. My thighs instantly reacted and clasped around Paige's head, holding her in place._

 _Paige didn't falter and continued her menstruations, pumping in and out of me, over and over. I began to move against her tongue, riding against it as I drew closer and closer to my orgasm._

 _It wasn't until Paige flexed her fingers inside of me that I jerked up off the bed and finally came tumbling down, riding my orgasm out as she continued to keep her tongue in place._

 _I collapsed back down onto the bed, completely out of breath. I flashed a lazy smile to Paige as she crawled up toward me, falling into place next to me._

" _That…was…" I trailed off, at a loss for words to even describe what that was._

" _It was." Paige chuckled, draping her arm across my bare stomach and tucking her head into the crook of my neck. Sex with Paige had always been amazing, but after so many years, it seemed as if it had gotten even better. Maybe she had become quite the experienced lady after me. I quickly shook the thought away, not wanting to picture Paige in bed with another woman, doing the same things she had just done to be._

" _I'm going to grab a Gatorade, you want one?"_

" _Seriously?" I couldn't help but laugh as Paige got up from the bed. This was our thing, Gatorade after sex. It always helped quench the thirst and get our energy boosted for another round. "You've stocked your hotel mini fridge with Gatorade already?"_

 _Paige had grabbed a t-shirt from the floor and as she slid it on and turned around to face me, I caught a glimpse of a small tattoo, just above her right hip bone. I couldn't quite see exactly what it was before it was hastily covered up by the t-shirt, but I could make out two letters. 'H' and 'S'._

Ali reached her hand across the bar and began to affectionately caress mine. "I'm sorry, Em. I'm not trying to cause any problems, I just think there's a lot of questions you should be asking before this goes any further."

I gently pulled my hand away from Ali. I wasn't upset with her, she did have some valid points. I just didn't want to continue this conversation any further. "I'm gonna go check on your salad."

 **Paige's POV**

"Come on ladies, push yourselves! Our first meet is in 4 days and I'm not impressed with what I'm seeing right now!" I was pacing up and down the side of the pool as the girls were currently in a relay race. I wasn't trying to be mean to the girls, I was trying to push them. Because honestly, they had more potential than even I had myself back in high school.

Natalie then dove into the water. _Anchor._ I couldn't help but smirk as I watched her form. It didn't remind me of her sister Nadine's, but rather, _Emily's._ She wasn't much shorter than Emily, so her stroke and form were extremely similar. Once she made the first turn and plummeted off the wall, I knew she had the race in the bag. I pulled my stopwatch out. Glancing to the wall of previous records, Natalie was on the verge of setting a new one. But at the last moment, she hesitated, adding a half second to her time as she touched the wall. _I'll definitely be talking to her about that later._

As the other teams finished their relays, an assistant from the office came into the natatorium and handed me a slip of paper. It was a note, requesting that I go to Principal Hackett's office immediately.

"Thank you." I said to the assistant as I crumbled the piece of paper and stuffed it into my pocket. I was confused as to why Principal Hackett needed to see me and a lump formed in my throat as I began to slightly panic.

"That was great work, ladies. We still need to work on our finish though, make sure we're shaving off those milliseconds. They can really make a difference. I have to go the principal's office-"

"Ooooh someone's in trouble!" Some of the girls teased in union.

"Ha ha, very funny. I want you all to take a fifteen minute break and then do fifteen laps before leaving today. Assistant Coach Fuller will watch. I'll see you all tomorrow."

I heard the echo of "Bye Coach" as I rounded the corner and left the natatorium.

The walk to Principal's Hackett's office seemed to carry on for miles, even though it was up two flights of stairs and then down a short hallway. I reached his door, it was shut. I took a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in, Coach."

I opened the door and saw Principal Hackett perched at his desk, looking over some papers.

"Have a seat, shut the door." He said without even looking up. _Oh boy, I don't really like the tone of his voice. It was cold._

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked to see you." He said, removing the spectacles that sat atop the bridge of his nose. _Um duh?_

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I'll just cut to the chase then. I didn't do a whole lot of checking up on you when you applied for the coaching position here." _Oh no, where is he going with this?_

"And it's because I didn't think I needed to. Well, apparently I was wrong." He picked up a folder that was on his desk and slid it forward to me. I gave him a questioningly look, hoping he would explain as to what the hell he was talking about. When he gave none, I reached for the folder and opened it. I took one glance, caught one word before closing it shut. The only word I needed to see to know what all of this was about was "Acetaminophen".

"Do you want to explain why you were removed from Stanford's swim team your senior year?" I could only shake my head in disbelief because deep down, I knew that Hackett didn't do all of this "digging" alone.

"This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce. Even pushes 'gainst our heart: the party tried. The daughter of a king, our wife, and one of us too much beloved. Let us be clear'd of being tyrannous since we have so openly proceed in justice, which shall have due course. Even to the guilt or the purgation. Produce the prisoner."

I began to clap, slowly and loudly. Alison's head snapped up and I leisurely began to make my way into her empty classroom.

"You know, Alison, you talk with such conviction and so eloquently, it's a shame you haven't _grown the hell up already_."

"Excuse me?" She asked as she closed her book and tossed it onto her desk. I began making my way down one of the rows, closer to her, drumming my hands along the desks as I walked. Once I reached her, I stood less than a foot away and looked dead into her empty orbs.

"We're not in high school anymore, Ali. And I'm not afraid of you anymore. So the next time you want to bring to light any "information" about my past, you might want a bigger shovel to help you "dig."

The look on Alison's face, the _fear_ that washed over her, was better than snow on Christmas morning. I smirked at her when she gave no response.

I turned and began to walk back out, but decided I wasn't quite done yet. "Oh, and don't worry. I won't gloat about the fact that Emily and I are back together. Because I just can't stoop to your level. See you at Homecoming." I threw her a fake, peppy smile as I turned on my heel and walked out. As soon as I rounded the corner out, I let out a deep and shaky breath, one I had been holding in the moment I walked into the classroom. _I didn't actually think I'd be able to go through with that without faltering, but damn it felt good!_

 **Emily's POV**

I knocked onto Paige's new apartment door and shifted on my feet as I waited for her to answer. I heard movement and then sounds that surely resembled Paige tripping over something. A few seconds later, she opened the door with a bashful smile.

I looked around her shoulder and saw her living room scattered with boxes. "I thought you said you already unpacked?" I asked with a teasing grin.

"Correction, I said I was _almost_ unpacked. I got the bedroom and kitchen done, the essentials." I chuckled as Paige stepped aside and let me in. I smelled Chinese food coming from the kitchen.

"I'm just nuking the takeout in the microwave, I wanted it to be hot." Paige disappeared into the kitchen and I began to scan around her place. It was a pretty decent size. Her living room was scattered with boxes, some opened, some not. There was a coffee colored couch on one side of the room and a bookshelf to the other. I started to make way over to the kitchen and then noticed that there wasn't a table for us to eat at.

Paige was currently spooning noodles and chicken into glass bowls. She then reached into her fridge and grabbed a six pack of beer.

"Okay, ready?"

"Um, where are we eating?"

"My dining table is still on order. So tonight, we eat upstairs."

"Upstairs?" I asked, gesturing in confusion. Paige handed me the six pack and then scooped up the two bowls.

"Come on, follow me." I did as instructed and began to follow Paige upstairs. We made our way into her bedroom. _Hmm dinner in bed?_ I bit my lip at the thought of what could lead to after. But Paige didn't stop in the bedroom. She made her way across the room and slid open a glass sliding door. _Oh, the balcony. How cute!_ Nope. Paige didn't stop there either. There was a flight of metal stairs on her balcony, which Paige quickly ascended and disappeared.

"Are you coming?" I heard her ask from above me. _Where could she have possibly gone?_ I cautiously made my way up the stairs and was met with a small rooftop. A rooftop that was clad with a blanket, pillows and numerous candles scattered across everywhere.

"Oh my gosh, Paige, this is beautiful." I was in such awestruck that I was still standing on the last step of the stairs.

"Well come on, silly. You have to check out the view, we can see the Philly city lights." I made my way over to her and sure enough, she was right. The city lights looked magical in this moment. I set the beer down and slipped my hand into Paige's.

"I can't believe you live here and can see this view whenever you want."

Paige hummed softly, her way of answering me I'm sure.

The evening carried on with delicious food and beer, soft conversation and lots of snuggles. I was currently tangled up into Paige, my head on her shoulder and arm draped across her stomach. Her fingers were lazily drawing circles on my arm as we watched the stars up above.

I didn't want to ruin the moment, but Ali's words were still echoing into the back of my head.

"Um, Paige?"

"Hmm?"

"What is that tattoo of? The one on your hip bone…"

Paige tensed up at this and I almost regretted saying anything. But, I pressed on. Sitting up, I brushed some hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. "And your scar…I know it's from a torn rotator cuff, I've seen lots of scars like that before."

Paige sat up and pulled her feet into her, placing her chin on her knees. She remained quiet and looked completely uncomfortable now that I had brought anything up.

"Paige…I hope you know that you can trust me with anything. I just…I think that if we're going to continue seeing each other, we need to be honest with each other." _Which means I should also be honest about my secrets…_

Paige took a deep breath and looked me in the eye before answering. Her eyes seemed so lost now and on the verge of spilling over with tears. I instantly felt horrible for being the cause of this.

"Em, I didn't tear my rotator cuff swimming…It was severed."


	6. Chapter 5

Emily's POV

The dark, grey walls of Rosewood High encased me as I paced back and forth outside of Alison's classroom. I had my arms folded against my torso, almost as if I were holding myself together, afraid of combustion. But that was probably because I was furious at this moment. I huffed a sigh and glanced down at my watch. _2:59pm._

" _I cannot believe you just did that!" I stormed into my Malibu apartment with Ali quickly in tow. I tossed my clutch onto my living room couch and ran my hands through my hair._

" _Relax, Em. I just did you a favor." I turned to face Ali as she shut my door and began pulling off her jacket. I sucked in air as I watched her waltz over to my couch, plopping down and kicking her feet up._

" _Oh, that was a favor? Excuse me while I try to understand how you breaking up my girlfriend of three months and I was a favor!"_

 _Alison simply rolled her eyes before getting up and heading into my kitchen. I was hot on her heels and observed her grabbing two wine glasses and a bottle of Merlot from my counter. I stood on the other side of the island, too furious to be closer to her._

" _You know what hurts even more is that I invited you here to meet Alex, to see why I've been so happy lately, not for you to just go and ruin everything."_

 _I ignored the glass of wine Alison set before me and watched her coyly sip her Merlot._

" _Oh, so dating a convicted felon is a desirable quality in women? Please, Em, you really should raise your standards. Besides, you're only twenty-two, why waste your time on someone who can't even pass a background check for McDonald's?"_

" _Ok first of all, she stole a car when she was a teenager, that's it. You know that we were convicting way worse crimes at that age. And second of all, how did you even find out about that?"_

 _Alison shrugged her shoulders. "You'd be surprised what you can find out on the internet."_

 _I barked out a laugh, I could not believe what I was hearing right now. "Oh, so what, Ali? You going to research all of my girlfriends and then attack them at dinner if you find even the slightest dirt on them?"_

" _If that's what it takes."_

" _For?" I questioned._

" _For you to see that everything you need is standing right here in front of you, Em." Alison's face softened and she reached across the island and laced our fingers together. "I know I've never been ready, but I'm ready now."_

 _I sighed but held onto her hand. I couldn't deny that Alison would always hold a special place in my heart. She was my first kiss, my first love. And as much as I had been waiting for her to feel the same way about me as I did about her for much of my life, I knew deep down that it was too late. Because sometimes, your first love isn't your last._

" _Ali…" I slowly slid my hand from her grasp and stared down at the island counter. "It's too late for that." I turned on my heel and went in search of my clutch and car keys._

" _Where are you going?"_

 _I placed my hand on the cold door knob before turning back to Ali. "I'm gonna go try and find Alex. Don't wait up for me." And without waiting for her to respond, I was out the door._

The lurid sound of the bell rang and shattered my day dream of the past. Within seconds, the halls were flooded with students scrambling to get home after a long school day. I backed up against the lockers, giving them room. After a few minutes, the halls dissipated and I made my way into Alison's classroom. She was near her desk, organizing a stack of papers. I stood in the doorway and watched her a for second, debating on whether or not I wanted to start this argument. But with a confirming breath, I stepped inside.

Her eyes shot up at the sound of my heels and a warm smile formed on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but I jumped at the chance and cut her off.

"Ali, I thought we were past this. How could you do this to me again?!" I came to a halt at the front of her desk and watched her try to decipher my words.

"Would you like to give me some more details or are you just going to continue yelling at me?" She folded her arms across her chest, in an assertive manner.

"Oh don't play that game with me, Ali. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Ali remained silent, showing me that either she truly didn't know or just wanted me to say it. I huffed, "Paige?" The light bulb went off and Alison gave me a slight smile.

"You almost cost Paige her _job_." I emphasized the last word, hoping that Alison would see how serious this was. "And you almost did so with half of the facts." I dug into my purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper before throwing it onto her desk.

"What's that?" She made no effort to pick it up and remained still behind her desk.

"You'd be surprised what you can find out on the internet." I relished in the fact that I had used Ali's own words against her. I turned and headed for the door and just before I left, I saw Ali out of the corner of my eye pick up the paper.

 _Paige's POV_

" _USA! USA! USA!"_

 _I exited my car with my fellow teammates, Holland and Spencer. I was smiling from ear to ear as I heard the constant "USA" cheer. We had just arrived to a massive beach party just a few miles from campus. Not only was it one of Stanford's biggest end of the year bashes, but it was also a send-off for the three of us to the Olympics. Our training was to start next week._

 _There were Stanford students everywhere crowded around a large bonfire and as the three of us approached, the crowd erupted into even bigger cheers._

" _Oh my gosh, I feel like a celebrity!" Holland gushed as we were all given high fives as we made our way through the crowd and onto the beach._

" _I guess when you're part of an Olympic team, you are!" Spencer exclaimed as the three of us were handed a red solo cup of beer._

 _Holland and Spencer raised their cups to their lips before I interjected. "Wait! I think we should probably establish who is going to be the DD tonight and since tomorrow is Holland's birthday, I think it should be between us." I said and pointed to Spencer and myself. Holland fist pumped into the air and took a swig of her beer._

" _Yeah, I guess that's fair." Spencer said with a nod, her blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a quarter and handed it to Holland._

" _Will you do the honors?"_

" _It will be my pleasure!" Holland beamed. "Paige, I think you should call since you made the safe suggestion for a DD."_

" _Alright. Heads." Holland flipped the coin into the air, catching it in her palm before flipping it over and onto her other hand. It was tails._

" _Ha ha, sucks to suck, McCullers!" Spencer cheered before bringing her cup back to her lips._

" _Dammit." I cursed. "Well, I guess I'll just enjoy this beer very, very slowly."_

 _Holland downed her beer. "And I'll go get a refill!" She bounced away into the crowd._

" _Thanks for being DD, we both appreciate it. I'll get you next time." Spencer said holding her cup up to me. We "clanked" them together in a cheers._

" _No problem." I said and took a tiny sip of my beer._

" _Spencerrr!" I rolled my eyes but still chuckled as Paul, Spencer's boyfriend, another Stanford swimmer, stumbled over to us, slurring his words. The two of them immediately became lost in a very sloppy lip lock, due to Paul's drunkenness._

" _That's my cue." I said to myself and turned the other way, disappearing into the crowd._

 _Two and a half hours later, I was getting into the front seat of my car. I rolled my eyes as I caught a glimpse of Spencer and Paul through my rear view mirror in my back seat, obviously not concerned about the other people in my car._

" _Guys, I'm not moving this car until you put your seat belts on." Spencer and Paul ignored me and continued to attack each others faces with sloppy and drunken kisses. Holland giggled in the passenger seat._

" _I don't think they heard youuuu." She teased. I looked over to the redhead in my passenger seat and smiled at her._

" _Well, you obviously did. So, seat belt. Now." I feigned the whole "Mom Tone" and narrowed my eyes at her._

" _Okay, okay." She said, laughing and clipping her seat belt on. I looked back to the rear view mirror and laughed as I was met with Paul's rear end._

" _Guys!" I shouted, still laughing. "Seat belts! Now, for the love of God!" I sat back into my seat as Spencer and Paul mumbled some drunken words before obliging. Once I heard two clicks, I started the car._

 _I pulled onto the two-lane freeway a short while later, opting for the longer route home since I knew there would be less cars. Within minutes, Holland was fast asleep in the passenger seat and Spencer and Paul were in a drunken fit of giggles in the back seat._

 _I turned up the radio, wanting to hear something other than the drunken playground in the back seat. I began to lightly drum my fingers to the beat against the steering wheel. A warmth washed over me as the lyrics set in and I realized just what song it was. It was the song playing in Emily's room a few years ago when she first told me she loved me._

" _You can feel the light start to tremble, washing what you know out the sea, yeah. You can see your life out the window tonight. If I lose myself tonight, it'll be by your side. If I lose myself tonight. If I lose myself tonight, it'll be you and I."_

 _I brushed away a tear from the corner of my eye as my mind had settled onto Emily and our past. God, I missed her more than anything. But my trip down memory lane was cut off by a piece of clothing from the back seat. It was a shirt and it landed onto my head, slumping down my face and covering my view._

" _Oops!" Spencer giggled from behind me, followed by the smacking of lips._

" _Seriously, Spence?" I snatched at the clothing, attempting to pull it off from my face, but the collar found its way around my head and got caught. I yanked harder, flinging it at Holland as it finally gave to. Averting my eyes back to the road, I was met with a pair of headlights._

Emily's POV

I watched as Paige huddled her legs closer to her and brushed away a few tears that had trickled down her face. I reached over and cautiously placed my hand on hers, afraid if the contact was unwanted. But Paige reassured me and entwined our fingers together. I looked around and noticed that the wind hand blown out some of the candles on the roof.

"I didn't even drift into the other lane. The other car came into mine. I found out after that it was a drunk driver." Paige averted her eyes from mine, but I continued to look at her, hoping that she would continue to let me in.

She laughed, shaking her head at herself. "You know, I was such a stickler, telling everyone else to put their seat belts on, that I had forgotten to put mine on. Funny. Because that's the only reason I'm still here today." I could hear the pain and regret in her voice, as if she had somehow thought all of this was her fault. She took a deep breath, holding my hand tighter, before closing her eyes. She didn't open them, as she began to reveal more and more about that terrible night.

"I went through the windshield. A chunk of glass caught me on my shoulder." Paige, with her other hand, made a cutting motion from the top of her shoulder, to the bottom, where her scar laid beneath her clothing. "It cut my rotator cuff, clean in two. It was repaired, obviously, and it healed. To about 90%. But not my left leg. Most of the bones were shattered. It's never been the same since."

I wanted to say something, anything that would help take away the pain I know Paige had long been carrying. But I couldn't find the words, they all just seemed too _small._

"Spencer and Holland were pronounced dead at the scene. Paul was taken to the hospital. He made it through the night but…" At this, Paige finally broke down into tears and slumped against me. I held her close and tight and gently rocked her back and forth as she fell apart. I pressed soothing kisses to her forehead and watched as her auburn locks collected my own tears from above her, much like my sweater was collecting hers.

Paige pulled away and looked at me, her face and eyes red and full of tears. My heart broke at the sight of her. I couldn't help but wonder if we hadn't had broken up, maybe she wouldn't have been at the party. Or maybe I could have been there with her and she wouldn't have been the one to get everyone home safely. But I knew all of these _what ifs_ wouldn't change what really happened.

I also knew that asking my next question might be too soon for the fragile woman in front of me, but I needed to know. I took a deep breath, taking Paige's hand into mine again.

"Paige…how is it that-"

"I went through a windshield and lived to tell?" I tried to tug back a smile, one that was forming due to how all these years later, Paige still knew me like the back of her hand. I simply nodded and waited for her response.

"The vehicle behind the one that hit us, had slammed on its breaks and skidded into the ditch on the side of the freeway. It was a van that had a mattress strapped to the top of it. I guess it came undone and fell onto the freeway. And that's where I landed. Or at least, that's where my head landed. I wound up with a concussion, some scrapes and cuts, but that was it."

"I can't believe I never read about this in the paper or heard it in the news." I knew that this hadn't happened long after Paige and I broke up. And I knew that this was during my dark times, but I was still shocked and upset with myself that I never heard about it until now.

"Doesn't surprise me. There were over a dozen drunk driving deaths that year, all with college students our age. I was just another statistic."

I furrowed my brows and shook my head in confusion at Paige. "But, you weren't drunk. You had one beer the whole night."

Paige feigned a laugh. "Yeah, tell that to Holland's father."

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. William Dubois. One of five presidents of the NCAA Board of Directors. To him, it was all my fault. I took away his daughter, the one thing he loved the most. So, he took away the one thing _I_ loved the most."

Paige finally stood up and made her way over to the edge of the roof, wrapping her arms around herself. I followed suit and joined her, as we both stared off into the Philly city lights.

"I spent that whole summer in the hospital and physical therapy, trying everything to get better before swim season my senior year. I knew I had already missed out on the Olympics, but I thought, at least I can still maybe swim senior year. At least maybe I can help my team to another victory, one that would honor Holland, Spencer, and Paul. But Mr. Dubois had other plans. He called for another "mandatory drug test".

Paige made air quotes and rolled her eyes. "I had just taken one a few months before, part of the requirements before Olympic training started. So of course, my test came back through the roof with Acetaminophen. I mean, why else wouldn't it? I had been taking hydrocodone for the pain from the accident. And even though I had a prescription-"

"It was still a violation against the student code of conduct." I finished Paige's sentence for her, saddened by the fact that Paige lost out on swimming due to a technicality.

"Yep. So not only does he think I was drunk behind the wheel and killed his daughter, he made it a point to paint me as drug popping addict." Paige shook her head in disgust and I joined her.

"You know, we can fight this. You had every right to be using that prescription…" I trailed off, hoping Paige would hop onto the redemption train with me.

"I don't want to fight anymore, Em. If all I can do to honor my friends is by teaching other young athletes, and by this tattoo…" Paige pulled down her jeans, exposing her hip bone and letting me see the tattoo. It was in the shape of droplet of water, but at each curve, it formed into the cursive, script letters of 'H', 'S' and 'P' "…then that's what I'm going to do."

Paige pulled her pants back up, covering the tattoo, and letting out a deep breath, almost as if she were finally letting go of this weight that had been crushing down on her for so long.

"And also put someone in their place when they try to get me fired."

My eyes darted over to her at the sound of this. _Huh?_

"Wait, what?"

Paige's POV

"Great practice, girls! I know that we are going to do great things at our first meet on Friday!" The girls piled out of the pool, wrapping towels around themselves and sitting down onto the bleachers. "I have high hopes for this season, and it's all thanks to you guys." I returned a proud smile to all of the ones beaming up at me from the bleachers.

"Now, there's no-" I was cut off by the loud bang of the door to the natatorium. The girls and I all looked over and saw Emily standing there, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry." She sheepishly said with a blush on her face. I couldn't help but throw a smile at her.

"Girls, I'd like to introduce someone to you." I waved Emily over. "Come on, Em, they don't bite." The girls giggled at this. Em finally made her way over, blushing even more so. "Some of you may know her, she swam with me here at Rosewood." I winked over at a beaming Natalie. "This is Emily Fields. Take a look at the record board, girls." The girls looked up to the wall behind them. The wall was scattered with E. Fields as well as P. McCullers. "Let's give Ms. Fields a warm Rosewood Sharks welcome." The girls erupted into applause and I about turned to mush at the bright smile that came across Emily's lips.

"Thank you very much." She shyly said.

"Maybe Ms. Fields can help out at our next practice?" I said eyeing Emily, hoping for a silent yes. Most of the girls seemed to like the sound of that. "Which brings me to no practice tomorrow. I want you girls well rested for Friday's meet. I'll see you all here at 3:00pm sharp on Friday."

"I'm sorry I interrupted the end of your practice." Emily said after the girls had left. She leaned in to give me a sweet and soft kiss, which I quickly obliged to.

"It's no problem. In fact, I think you helped light a fire under some of them. I'm hoping for some new records to be set on Friday." I gestured to my clip board.

Emily smiled sweetly at me, "With a coach like you, I'm sure they'll do great."

I blushed at her words, hoping that she was right. "So what are you doing here?"

Emily seemed a little uneasy once I asked this. "Oh um, just taking care of a few things."

"Em." I sighed. "I told you not to worry about it, I can handle Alison on my own." We absently began to make our way to my office.

"I know, I know. But, this isn't the first time she's done something like this, and while I know she was just looking out for me, it still wasn't right of her to blow smoke like that."

"And how'd she take that?" I asked, sitting down into my chair and pulling Emily into my lap. She instinctively wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"I'm not sure, I didn't really give her a chance to say anything."

"Mmm that's too bad." I began to kiss and nip at Emily's neck. I could feel her shiver at my touch and I pulled her closer into me.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" She softly moaned as I continued my assault on her neck and as her fingers found their way into my hair.

"Well, because she and I are chaperones at Homecoming on Saturday and I was going to ask you to be my date."

 **A/N: Well, I hope you all liked the update! After hearing about Paige's car accident in PLL, I wanted to know more, and I sort of just ran with that. So this is my version. A lot of angst, I know! But up next, Homecoming shenanigans ;) And once again, thank you for the continued support and to all who take the time to review :)**


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